Longevity
An unapproved four-amino-acid peptide
Not FDA-approved · not available for sale or prescriptionFDA advisory vote, July 2026 · FDA staff opposed · no FDA action
Epitalon is not FDA-approved, and most of its evidence is from cell lines and rodents. It is a synthetic tetrapeptide developed by Russian gerontologists (Khavinson and colleagues) as an analogue of a pineal-gland peptide preparation, and it is often marketed with telomere and longevity claims. Human data are limited to a few small studies, including a 20-day randomized placebo-controlled study of a sublingual spray in 40 women with low melatonin output that measured melatonin and clock-gene markers, not telomeres or lifespan.
Also known as Epithalon · Epithalone · Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly · AEDG peptide
AEDG
Epitalon is reported to upregulate telomerase (hTERT) expression and, in cancer cell lines, to promote the alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) pathway, extending telomere length in vitro. It is also proposed to have antioxidant effects and to modulate pineal/circadian signaling (e.g., melatonin regulation), the basis for its 'anti-aging' and sleep-related marketing claims.
Evidence · Early or small human studies
In a lymphoma drug-resistance model, targeting an LCP2-mediated senescence axis with Epitalon (combined with chaetocin) partially eliminated therapy-induced senescent NK/T-cell lymphoma cells and enhanced chemotherapy response in vivo, illustrating a senolytic rather than pro-longevity application distinct from Epitalon's typical anti-aging marketing.
in vivo ageing/senescence microenvironment model plus NK/T-cell lymphoma cell lines
In cultured human breast-derived cancer cell lines (21NT, BT474) and normal epithelial/fibroblast cells, Epitalon produced dose-dependent telomere-length extension in normal cells via hTERT mRNA upregulation and telomerase activity, while in cancer cells telomere extension additionally involved activation of the ALT (Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres) pathway; a minor ALT increase was also seen in normal cells. (A correction to this paper was published in November 2025.)
human breast cancer cell lines and normal human epithelial/fibroblast cell lines
In a high-glucose-injured human retinal pigment epithelial cell line (ARPE-19) modeling diabetic retinopathy, Epitalon restored delayed wound healing by inhibiting hyperglycemia-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition and fibrosis-related gene upregulation.
ARPE-19 human retinal pigment epithelial cell line
Based on: lab and animal studies only; human safety is not established.
Checked 2026-09